Chapter 41: This Is the True Center of Attention! [Thanks to the generous patron for the reward]

Lu Yuanqiu also smiled quietly to himself. There seemed to be an unspoken understanding between them, a mutual taciturnity that required no words. Both averted their gazes at the same moment.

Indeed, aside from Bai Qingxia, he could think of no one else who would cheer for him.

The girl’s timely appearance, and her timely smile, grounded him, making him feel secure in that instant.

“Get up, you damn charcoal! You’ve held me back long enough—look how far ahead everyone else is!”

Lu Yuanqiu pulled up Tan Le and together they chased after the group ahead.

Wang Haoran was still leading the pack, running as if his life depended on it. His effort was clearly appreciated by the girls—among them, the girls of Class 28 in their JK uniforms screamed and cheered madly for him.

“Mom, she’s so beautiful! If I could just say one word to her, my life would be complete!” Tan Le exclaimed hysterically as he ran.

Lu Yuanqiu grinned, “You’re really bewitched. Is it that serious?”

“Don’t worry. She’ll be in the same exam room as us for the monthly test—she’s the last seat, then me, then you.”

Tan Le was taken aback. “Isn’t she top of the grade?”

“She missed the last test,” Lu Yuanqiu explained.

Their lagging pace soon caught the attention of Liu Wei. The woman—already over thirty—adjusted her glasses in frustration and shouted at Lu Yuanqiu, “Having a chat, are we?! Lu Yuanqiu! If you come in last, just see what I do to you!”

Facing Liu Wei’s tiger-like glare, Lu Yuanqiu swallowed hard. He turned to Tan Le, “Brother, let’s chat next lap. I’ve got to run now.”

“Huh?” Tan Le felt as if he were hearing a foreign language.

Lu Yuanqiu stretched his legs and started accelerating. This drew the eyes of everyone present, including PE teacher Wang Ping.

“What’s he doing? Sprinting now?” Wang Ping muttered.

The physical advantages brought by his rebirth—stamina, endurance, strength—weren’t much use elsewhere, but for a sports meet, they were more than enough.

Lu Yuanqiu surged ahead quickly. When he caught up to Wang Haoran, the middle-parted boy stared at him in shock.

“No way… Lu Yuanqiu?! Wait for me!”

Wang Haoran tried in vain to catch up, but having started at a sprint, he was already exhausted. His pace slowed further, and the trailing group soon closed the gap.

Anyone who’s run three thousand meters knows that a steady, brisk, even pace is the best strategy early on. Sprinting at the start, like Wang Haoran or Lu Yuanqiu, would look foolish to most observers.

Having easily lapped Tan Le, Lu Yuanqiu slowed down and fell in beside him. Seeing the look of alarm on Tan Le’s face, Lu Yuanqiu explained, “No choice—our homeroom teacher’s like a tigress. I’ll just lap you for now.”

Lu Yuanqiu was currently in first place.

Tan Le was dumbfounded. “Brother, you’re making me look like an idiot!”

Lu Yuanqiu replied, dead serious, “Then let’s both speed up.”

Tan Le started to protest, but caught himself—he realized they were running past Bai Qingxia again, and she was looking his way. His dark face flushed with embarrassment. He scratched his head, wanting to greet her, but lost his nerve and quickly looked away.

“Keep it up,” Bai Qingxia said quietly, shyly.

“Ah, yes, thank you!” Tan Le didn’t dare lift his head, but grinned and answered quickly. Only after passing her did he turn to Lu Yuanqiu, “Your classmate Bai Qingxia is pretty friendly. I thought she’d be really aloof.”

But as soon as he finished, he saw Lu Yuanqiu looking at him with an odd expression.

“What? Am I really that handsome today? Tell me the truth, brother!” Tan Le asked, suddenly excited as if realizing something.

Lu Yuanqiu scratched his head and managed an awkward smile. “Yeah, I guess… not bad…”

He didn’t have the heart to burst Tan Le’s bubble, since they were good friends. But the bewildered look Bai Qingxia had given Tan Le just now nearly made Lu Yuanqiu laugh out loud.

Because she had clearly been cheering for Lu Yuanqiu—not Tan Le.

Most likely, Tan Le had been standing between them, so he’d misunderstood.

By the fifth lap, Lu Yuanqiu noticed the trailing group had started to accelerate. He was still in first place, but his lead was under threat.

Liu Wei, half-crazed, stepped out and yelled, “Lu Yuanqiu, what are you waiting for?! They’re catching up!”

The JK-uniformed girls hadn’t expected that their group’s hopes would rest on Lu Yuanqiu, and their darling Wang Haoran had fallen to the third tier, gasping for air.

Liu Wei turned and snapped, “What are you all standing around for?! Cheer for Lu Yuanqiu!”

Everyone hesitated, then shouted, “Go, Lu Yuanqiu! Go, Lu Yuanqiu!”

Lu Yuanqiu raised his right hand high: “Got it!”

He seemed tireless, stretching his long legs and doubling his speed. The trailing group could only watch in despair as he stormed ahead, their faces a mix of shock and confusion.

Is this guy even human?

He sprinted a lap before, and now he’s sprinting again? Does he have an engine in his chest or what?

People had only ever heard Lu Yuanqiu was good at basketball—no one knew he was such a beast at distance running.

On the final lap, with the finish line in sight, Lu Yuanqiu slowed down—he’d already lapped the second-tier group by a whole round!

In the last twenty meters, he stopped, drenched in sweat, and stretched out his arms with a grin. He began to do a silly ostrich walk toward the finish line, moving inch by inch.

Class 28 erupted in laughter, but in Lu Yuanqiu’s eyes, he saw only Bai Qingxia.

Seeing the lone girl smile at his antics, he became even bolder. He turned around and, still imitating the ostrich walk, began to back across the finish line.

Spectators from other classes either doubled over with laughter or looked black with frustration.

Lu Yuanqiu’s display was the height of mockery.

Even the usually stern Liu Wei didn’t stop his antics, for among the runners in this group was her nemesis, a student from Class 29 under Cao Yan.

She turned smugly to Cao Yan standing nearby and jeered, “That Liu Wenqiang of yours—I thought he was supposed to be great at running?”

At that moment, Liu Wenqiang, now sprinting in second place, could only watch in despair as Lu Yuanqiu’s foot crossed the finish line.

His spirit collapsed.

Cao Yan snorted coldly, “Hmph.”

Claiming first place for his group, Lu Yuanqiu dropped the act and took a long, deep breath. He spread his arms wide to the field, and Class 28 cheered wildly.

Before long, Wang Haoran and Tan Le made it across the line as well.

Wang Haoran, exhausted, looked to Hu Caiwei, managed a weak smile—only to find she wasn’t even looking at him. Instead, she grabbed a fancy sports drink and headed toward Lu Yuanqiu.

Tan Le, hands on his knees and panting, looked up—and froze.

He saw Bai Qingxia jogging over to Lu Yuanqiu with a bottle of water in her hands, shyly offering it to him.

On one side, an expensive sports drink; on the other, a cheap bottle of water.

Hu Caiwei stared at Bai Qingxia in disbelief. She could never have imagined Bai Qingxia would do something as forward as handing someone a bottle of water.

All the other classes watched in amazement, as the freshly-crowned Lu Yuanqiu, already the center of attention, became the focus once again thanks to Bai Qingxia.

“Lu Yuanqiu, you—damn it, I…!” Tan Le muttered under his breath, his eyes wide with shock, softly cursing Lu Yuanqiu’s ancestors.

PS: Please send some monthly votes (shameless request).

Recommendation: a friend’s book, also in the school beauty series.

Cool and aloof school beauty? No, you’re an abstract holy body.

Link below.